boom. [ male announcer ] pillsbury crescents. make the holidays pop. ♪ i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is. >>> president obama on thursday afternoon recalled how he started in politics. not his first race and not his first phone call on behalf of a candidate. the moment he became political. for that moment the president thanked nelson mandela. >> i am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from nelson mandela's life. my very first political action, the first thing i ever did that involved an issue or policy or politics was protest against apartheid. i would study his words and his writings. the day he was released from prison he gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they're guided by their hopes and not their fears. >> the president isn't alone. for many of u